A tall figure swooped into Dragonspine a few hours before dawn, when the moon had set and the shadows of night were darkest. They had expected the cave to be guarded. Perhaps the alchemist had fallen asleep at his post, confident in his abilities to keep the Hero of Mondstat hostage. They were glad they didn't have to resort to violence, but this suspicious activity could go on no longer and they would not allow the alchemist to turn the traveller into a monster.
They had seen the traveller naively accept the concoction from Albedo, too trusting, too willing to accept his words and promises. So, when the boy had collapsed they had not been surprised, although they had been somewhat disappointed. He had been reckless, trusting the alchemist so easily. They, themselves, were more cautious than that, so they could only assume that the traveller was either childishly naive or simply a fool.
Of course, there was no firm proof that Albedo was creating any machinations of destruction, but they had this deep, sinking feeling in their gut every time they saw him which could only be a sign from Lord Barbados warning them against his ill intent.
Rather than confronting the alchemist and his floating accomplice directly, they would wait for the perfect opportunity to rescue the Honorary Knight. They were not known to be the most patient of people, but given the circumstances they would have to wait for the perfect opportunity to rescue the honorary knight. For a full day, they had kept watch at their post, overlooking the hideout. They watched as the alchemist dragged the boy's body back into his lair (they were not sure if he was unconscious or dead). The floating girl was clearly consorting with him. No wonder the traveler had been tricked so easily.
After the alchemist had dosed the boy for the third time in the day, they had grown increasingly concerned. What was he doing to him? They could only assume foul play was at hand, that Albedo knew what the outcome of this so-called experiment would be. There was no other choice but to intervene and hopefully save the Honorary Knight from Albedo's clutches and prevent any further harm or corruption from afflicting him. They couldn't allow yet another threat to the city of wind.
So, when the girl had draped a blanket around the sleeping alchemist then disappeared herself to bed, they made their move, creeping soundlessly into the cave. Keeping to the shadows, they gave the dozing alchemist a wide berth as they approached his unconscious captive. Swiftly, they crouched next to the traveller and bound his wrists as a precautionary measure, lifting his limp body over their shoulder in one fluid movement with the aid of some elemental energy. Thankfully, the boy did not wake or make a sound. Before the floating girl or the alchemist could stir, they swiftly passed through the length of the campsite, traveller secured, and fled into the darkness of the mountain.
~*~
A consistent thump thump thump stirred Aether into consciousness. As he awoke, he became increasingly aware of the uncomfortable jolts pressing into his ribs, causing his breaths to come short and sharp and pushing puffs of condensed air past his hazy vision. Snow-covered ground, dark boots, and long legs moved quickly below him. Before he could question the sight, another harsh jolt sent blood rushing to his head, adding to the fuzziness he felt and the dull throbbing ache behind his eyes. He attempted to shift to relieve his discomfort but found his legs to be held firmly in place and his wrists tightly bound. Confused, it took him a moment to realise he was being carried over someone's shoulder.
A feminine voice (where had he heard that voice before?) muttered something, but their words were muffled through the pressure in his ears and his growing panic. Although he felt exhausted and his limbs were numb, he increased his efforts to wriggle against his constraints. He felt his captor's grip slip as he shifted, and he felt his boot connect with flesh. Using the brief leverage to his advantage, Aether pushed against his purchase, rolling free of their grasp and off the bony shoulder that had been pressing against his gut. As he fell he felt weightless, reminding him of the giddy feeling from when he first learned to fly, but it was short lived as the impact with the snowy ground left him winded. His momentum tussled him a few times down the shallow slope, coming to a jarring halt against the base of a thick tree. He blinked stars and snow from his eyes, trying to get his bearings.
Once he was somewhat sure of which way was up, he pushed himself up onto shaky legs, forcing his body to move as he struggled to manifest his weapon. His heartbeat pounded at his temples. Although his mind was foggy, he was aware enough to know that he was not well; he recognised the feeling of fever on his brow, the barely-withheld migraine, and the deep-seated exhaustion shaking his limbs and trying to coax him back to the earth. Aether was sure that adrenaline was the only thing keeping him upright at the moment.
He knew that he was probably outmatched in his condition, but on his fourth try he managed to flicker his sword into existence anyway. He was not going to give up without a fight (he could almost hear Lumine telling him to suck it up). Clutching his blade between his bound hands with difficulty, Aether struggled to focus on his opponent. He blinked furiously against the dim lighting—he wasn't sure if it was early evening or just before dawn—trying to locate their position and muster up the energy to lift his sword high enough to guard.
Over there!
A slight movement of magenta and a quick swirl of elemental energy alerted him to an incoming attack. He managed to sidestep the burst of cryo and clumsily deflect the first strike of a pole arm that had shot out from the shadows, but his limbs were sluggish and he didn't see their second strike until it was too late. His opponent had used the momentum of his parry to swing the long pole around, the blade-less end briskly wrapping the backs of his knuckles and knocking his weapon from his grip with ease. Aether cursed at the sting of the blow, watching in dismay as the weapon spun and landed a short distance away in the snow. No! He couldn't afford to get captured. If he was, then he couldn't continue his journey looking for his twin. He wouldn't let that happen, wouldn't make her wait longer than she had already. He couldn't be sealed away again. Something also nagged in the back of his mind about the sword. It... it was important that he kept it safe.
A sharp blade resting against his jugular cast the thought from his mind. "Don't move," the woman ordered coolly from behind him. Dread clawed at his gut. Strength failing, he tried to steady his numbing knees and persuade the woman to let him go, but the words died in his throat as a thick wave of exhaustion slammed into him. He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, his legs crumpling. Not for the first time, he got a face full of snow.
Aether watched hazelly as heeled boots crunched towards him with cautiously, pausing in front of him as they turned him over with their foot, pole arm still aimed readily at his neck. Relief and confusion washed over him when he was met with a somewhat familiar face, deathly pale skin framed by magenta hair. A black veil fell prettily from the crown of her head and around her shoulders, a shimmering red stone seated between her collarbones. He vaguely remembered meeting her a few days ago when she had showed him and Paimon up the mountain. But how did he end up being carried away by her? He wondered were the alchemist and his travelling companion had gone.
"S...sister ... Rosaria.." he managed to wheeze between laboured breaths. "Wh..s Al...bedo? A-and Paimon?"
The nun smiled thinly, but there was no warmth in it. "Honorary Knight," she greeted. "You have been quite reckless. I had no choice but to rescue you from that man's clutches, lest you receive further corruption. You're in my custody for now until I'm certain you're not a threat to Mondstat. Now don't fight me this time and this will be over much faster."
Before he could protest and explain that he didn't need saving, or guarding for that matter, she hoisted him back over her shoulder roughly, winding him once more and jostling him so he couldn't make sense of what was up or down. Vaguely, he heard her mumble something about working overtime. Blood rushed to his head once more as they started moving, muddling his thoughts and making it difficult to think straight. Too exhausted to fight against it, he settled for groaning softly in discomfort as he tried not to pass out with each jarring step.
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Rosaria adjusted the traveller's weight on her shoulder, making sure her grip was secure and he would not slip loose again. He had gone limp, either unconscious or being too exhausted to fight her. She wasn't picky, as long as she got him away from Albedo and under close guard as she assessed whether the alchemist's experimentation on the outlander posed a threat to her city.
As they set off down the mountain, the nun made sure to collect the honorary knight's sword that she had disarmed from him. As a fighter herself, she understood the care and time that went into crafting and maintaining a weapon and she would make sure that his sword was not lost. She couldn't help but shiver as the cool metal of the hilt pressed into her glove, a sense of dread washing over her. At the feeling, she considered leaving it lodged in the snow, but they were not far from camp and she wouldn't risk it being stollen by one of those pesky treasure hoarders. It was just a sword; she would put aside her trepidation and keep it safe for the sake of the Hero of Mondstat. So, she had fastened it to her belt and set back down the mountain's path.
When they got back to camp, the sun had risen a little above the horizon, its pale golden rays glistening off the frosted-coated grass. Rosaria much preferred the softer shimmer of moonlight, but she supposed it was still a pretty sight to start the day with.
Opening the flap of her tent, she unceremoniously deposited the outlander into an empty bedroll and discarded the sword into a locked chest. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was out of her grasp. Rolling her shoulders to ease her tension, she glanced over to the boy. His eyes were half-lidded, his bound hands resting on his stomach as he took shaky breaths. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his hair was slick with it. She hadn't taken much time to assess his condition at Albedo's lair, and she frowned slightly in concern. What had the alchemist done to him?
Although he appeared to be somewhat conscious, she wasn't sure if he was happy about it; perhaps she should have been more gentle with him with their trip down the mountain. Sighing, because this wasn't in her job description, she called a little of her cryo power to her fingertips before brushing them over the boy's exposed skin. He flinched back at the contact like it burned, crying out in pain. Rude. She had only been trying to help. This is why she didn't do overtime and left the caretaking responsibilities to Barbara. Annoyed, she left to wake a healer.